Passengers using bus, tram and train services across the Australian state of Victoria will soon be able to use their physical or digital debit or credit card to pay their transit fares using an open loop contactless ticketing system.

Public Transport Victoria (PTV) is to enable passengers to make tap-on/tap-off contactless fare payments with their own bank card as part of an upgrade to its existing transit card-based Myki ticketing system and will begin trialling the upgrade in 2024.

Other features including account-based ticketing will be added “progressively to make sure Victorians can easily transition to new, more convenient ways of buying a ticket to travel,” according to PTV.

“Victoria’s next transit ticketing system will be implemented in two phases. First, Conduent will install validators on buses, trains and trams and provide a contactless credit and debit card (Eurocard, Mastercard, Visa and Amex) payment system,” technology provider Conduent explains.

“The system will also allow passengers to pay with existing Myki transit cards plus debit and credit cards, as well as NFC-enabled devices including smartphones and smartwatches with digital wallets.

“During the second phase, Conduent will implement account-based ticketing (ABT). With ABT, tickets are stored virtually in the cloud, enabling a range of devices such as smartphones, smart cards or media to be securely linked to a user’s account.

“Flexible account-based features will deliver an improved customer experience.”

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